No, that is not what I am saying.
I am saying that Christ said to have eternal life, one must eat of His flesh and drink of His blood.
Christ’s sacrifice on the cross in atonement for our sins opened the gates of heaven after they had been closed by Adam and Eve’s sin. The sin which separated all those who came after them from eternal life with God.
Let’s be clear here.
I DID NOT SAY THESE WORDS.
JESUS SAID THEM!
WHY?
He knew how those words would be taken. And not by some future Church magisterium, but by the very people He spoke them to. They walked away, He didn’t stop them and He does not retract what He said.
And He does not mitigate it. He does tell them that the flesh is useless, but what flesh is useless? His? I don’t think so, otherwise, why did He have to suffer and die?
No, the flesh is useless without the spirit of God. That is why the Church defined the doctrine that Jesus is truly God and truly man.
It all connects and one cannot simply take a grab bag approach to Scripture. It doesn’t work. Each bit stands together to make the whole.
Jesus did indeed die for our sins, and it is only because of that that we have even shred of hope to spend eternity in heaven.
But, His death is not a get out of jail free card. It opens the door but we must walk through it.
The Eucharist is an article of faith. We believe and partake because Jesus has said we must if we want life.
Indeed, He did. He also said if your eye offends you, pluck it out. If you hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off.
Yet I've never heard of a single Catholic doing any of those things.